How can we delay\u2014or even avoid\u2014non-communicable diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases, which affect over 2 million people in Switzerland (FOPH 2020) and account for a massive 80% of healthcare costs?
Through prevention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both high cholesterol and hypertension are \u201csilent\u201d conditions (often symptom-free and therefore diagnosed late) that significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular complications and may lead to stroke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cholesterol and hypertension are major health risk factors, but they are often manageable. For example, the WHO estimates that reducing cholesterol levels by 10% in a 40-year-old man could cut cardiovascular disease risk by 50% over a five-year period\u2014mainly through preventive measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what kind of prevention?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Vaccines? They are certainly the best protection against many infectious diseases\u2014but there is no vaccine against high cholesterol or smoking-related heart attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Medications? Not particularly useful or effective for people who\u2019ve never had a cardiovascular event. In primary prevention, if 100 people take statins to lower cholesterol, only one will avoid a major cardiovascular event after 2.5 years of treatment\u2014without any effect on mortality\u2014according to a meta-analysis published in JAMA (November 2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Supplements? Those containing plant-based polyphenols may offer some benefit, but they must be paired with lasting lifestyle changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2e3b<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Simple and Meaningful Acronym: SANT\u00c9 (\u201cHEALTH\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This French acronym (Sport, Alcohol, Nutrition, Tobacco, Environment) outlines 5 simple, evidence-based, and effective guidelines for healthy living and reducing cardiovascular risks or maintaining a strong immune system: 80% of cardiovascular diseases could be prevented by following these lifestyle guidelines (WHO)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n So why do these conditions still affect so many people?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the solution were simple, everyone would follow it. But all components of SANT\u00c9 involve habits and behaviors\u2014and changing long-established routines, often formed in childhood or adolescence, is no easy task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond lifestyle advice, regular blood pressure and cholesterol checks are recommended, especially after age 50. A personalized approach remains key: By Dr. Fran\u00e7ois H\u00e9ritier<\/p>\n\n\n\n [1] https:\/\/www.bag.admin.ch\/bag\/en\/home\/gesund-leben\/gesundheitsfoerderung-und-praevention\/praevention-nichtuebertragbare-krankheiten\/ab-heute-vorbeugen.html How can we delay\u2014or even avoid\u2014non-communicable diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases, which affect […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1102,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[130],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-caring-for-your-heart-and-arteries"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pharmalp.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pharmalp.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pharmalp.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pharmalp.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pharmalp.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2730"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pharmalp.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2730\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2732,"href":"https:\/\/www.pharmalp.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2730\/revisions\/2732"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pharmalp.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pharmalp.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pharmalp.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pharmalp.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u2022 S \u2013 Sport \/ Stay active: Aim for daily movement\u2014walk, take the stairs, ride a bike. 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week, broken into sessions of at least 10 minutes, has been shown to benefit health. [1]
\u2022 A \u2013 Alcohol \/ Drink moderately: No more than 1\u20132 glasses of wine per day. Recent studies suggest even lower amounts may further reduce health risks. (WHO)
\u2022 N \u2013 Nutrition \/ Eat well: Follow the 3V rule:
\u2022 Variety: Fresh, local, seasonal foods
\u2022 Whole (Vrai): Avoid ultra-processed foods
\u2022 Vegetal: Eat mostly plant-based, especially polyphenol-rich foods, and limit meat.
Eat slowly, mindfully, and enjoyably. [2]
\u2022 T \u2013 Tobacco \/ Quit smoking: Even one cigarette per day increases health risks. Smoking leads to an average loss of 10 years of life, causes nearly 10,000 premature deaths annually in Switzerland, and costs billions. [1]
\u2022 E \u2013 Environment \/ Choose clean, natural surroundings: Regular contact with nature benefits both body and mind. It regulates the immune system (reducing allergies and infections) and improves mental well-being by reducing stress. [3]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consider the whole person, assess individual health risks, provide objective information, motivate change, address doubts, and always offer compassionate, continuous support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[2] https:\/\/theconversation.com\/alimentation-protegez-votre-sante-et-la-planete-grace-a-la-regle-des-3v-117033
[3] https:\/\/www.revmed.ch\/RMS\/2020\/RMS-N-714-1\/Contact-avec-la-nature<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"